


pinky promise

by azureforest



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Banter, Gen, Meaningful conversations, ambiguous as in they could be married. you never know, pinky promises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 06:25:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9372215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azureforest/pseuds/azureforest
Summary: maybe staying a little childish isn't as bad as it sounds- maybe, just maybe, it's what we really need.(in which leonardo thinks too much, and edward doesn't. or rather, not quite as much.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> i have no excuses, i am very tired, and i have not written properly in what feels like ages. tried to write more dialogue, juggled stuff around a lil? also im on mobile and have no beta, we die like mediocre writers
> 
> anyways. back to your regularly scheduled edleo content.

A tile goes loose under the pressure of his foot, slides down the roof and clatters off into the alley below, and Edward lets out a low whistle, prompting a withering look from the blond next to him- The brunet proceeds to laugh it off, leaning back on the palms of his hands as he throws his head back in mirth. Leonardo opens his mouth to scold him- The roof doesn’t seem like an awfully safe place to be, but the sunbeams dapple the rooftops of Daein just right, and quite frankly, the two have been doing this for years- Clambering up on rooftops to escape, Begnion soldiers and worries alike- Now more the latter than the former, but the stone and slope under their feet is a constant they like to hold on to.

The streets are, and always have been their element- Or, well, perhaps not always, in Leonardo’s case, when it had just been him alone, but as the myrmidon dragged him along every step of the way, Nevassa gradually became a home to him like no other- Each nook, each cranny he’s passed is attached to a spot in his heart in one way or another, regardless of whether or not he can remember why, and while he can never be as one with the city as Edward is, it’s still dear to him.

But never as much as it is to Edward- Edward, who’s run along these streets since he was a child, who’s lived with the pavement beneath his feet since he could walk, could run, could steal, could fight. And while he is one of many, he is still _one_ \- One who’s seen too much, who might just as well hate these streets as much as he loves them.

But he loves them regardless, because his friends make them worthwhile- It sounds hopelessly optimistic and cheesy, but then again, that’s the kind of person Edward is, and he wouldn’t have it any other way- This remains, no matter how much time passes, as much a fact as the blue of the sky or the falling of leaves in the autumn. Eternally childish Edward, eternally mature Leonardo- It's quite certain to remain this way, the way it's always been. The brunet leans back, still grinning broadly, lying on the stone of the roof, stares up at Leonardo from the corner of his eye, reaches out to tap him on the knee.

“Hey, what’re you thinking about? You’ve got that look on your face again-“ he frowns comically, apparently in a bad approximation of the archer’s expression at that moment- Leonardo emits a snort, halfway between amused and offended- “-like this, you know- You’re thinking way too hard again, aren’t you?”

Leonardo lets out a sigh, reaches back to weakly punch Edward in the shoulder. “Shush, you. My face doesn’t look like that. It’s just-“ he pauses, knits his brow again, and Edward sits up, pointing an accusatory finger. “You’re doing it again!”

The blond huffs, bats the hand away, and the brunet quickly reverts back to looking expectant, not unlike a puppy. “Let me finish. It’s just… Well, I’ve been thinking.”

“You’re always thinking.”

“That I am.”

They fall into a brief silence- A comfortable quiet, one where Edward waits, patient for once, and Leonardo searches for words, ones that won’t tumble and fall like the myrmidon’s are wont to do- A lazy evening breeze drifts past as the archer contemplates, brushing warm fingers over their skin, through their hair in a familiar gesture.

A reason they love the rooftops.

“Well- It was just that I was thinking.” Leonardo begins anew, a hand at his chin, and though he can see Edward physically holding holding back another playful jab, the brunet thankfully remains silent. ”Maybe it isn’t so bad being childish, after all.”

Edward sits back up, grey eyes inquisitive, interest piqued. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I think… I think that sometimes, the world needs that kind of childishness- The kind that’s… Optimistic. Bursting with life.”

A thoughtful hum. “I thought you thought being like a kid’s kind of inconvenient in a life like this?”

The archer sighs, fiddles with his hair, braids it, unbraids it again. “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. Maybe I still do. But if this world… If everybody in this world thought rigidly, had only the hearts of selfish adults, I’m… I’m not sure I would want to go on living here anymore.”

A pause, and the blond glances over to his friend, worried he might laugh at him- Though, the fear’s unfounded. Edward never does. He just has his brow knitted, either still processing what the blond said or already mulling on it, but listening. Leonardo smiles, continues.

“You see, it’s that kind of youth that… Livens things up, really. Makes life a little more worth living, if I can say it that way. When you look at children, they may be naïve, they may be stubborn, selfish in that insufferably childish way- But they’re bursting with curiosity, and it’s that inexperience that lets them feel the world as it should be felt.” The archer gestures broadly, brushing a stray strand of hair behind his ear- The wind blows it loose again seconds afterwards, but he doesn’t really seem to care.

“To them, the world is still wonderful, nothing has tainted them, or perhaps they refuse to be tainted- To them, a person is still a person, no matter what happens, regardless of whether they’re Beorc or Branded or su- Laguz.”

He licks his lips, his voice cracks a fraction on the last word as he catches his mistake, lowers his tone, murmurs on.

“People who retain that youth… Are either idealistic fools, remarkably strong, or both. But we still need them- The world is a dark place, and we need all the light we can get.”

Silence settles in again, and the archer waits for a reaction- Edward blinks once, twice, before abruptly grabbing the sides of Leonardo’s face and pulling him close, disregarding the startled yelp, the extra tile that tumbles off the roof, following the first one that had fallen down. The brunet laughs, not at him, but with him-

"Aw, I'm flattered!"

And with that said, he continues.

“Silly- There’s always tons of light if you just look for it! Look out there, at the horizon-“ He pointedly turns the archer’s face towards the sky, effectively stopping his slightly muffled protests- “Right there! The sun, right there, it’s shining for us with all it’s got, right? And you’re not always doom and gloom, either, so stop being all tough and talking like you’re gonna keel over and die any second. Dying's bad." A flicker of concern flits over his face, but disappears just as quickly as he chirps on.

"Nolan’s always telling you you’re still young, right? And if you act old, what am I? We can both be super old already if we try hard enough, but we're probably gonna grow old together, anyways, and we can both just as well be forever young, too. And _I_ like being young.” The myrmidon beams, lets go of Leonardo’s head so he can look at the horizon on his own, to his heart's content- But the archer turns to Edward, instead, looking a bit sheepish, but smiling, nonetheless.

"I... I guess so. Then again, it's quite like you to look at it that way."

Edward puffs out his chest proudly, looking like the hero he is in the light, the clouds drifting behind him, a dramatic backdrop he deserves. "Haha, I try!"

"I'm glad."

"It's why you love me so much, right?"

A sigh, followed by another light jab to the myrmidons ribs and laughter from both of them- The sun shines a little brighter in Edward's eyes, but perhaps that's just Leonardo's doing- "Always, Ed." he replies with a grin. "Always and forever."

The myrmidon cackles, leaning closer so their noses brush, grey eyes closing. "Even when I'm all old and wrinkly?"

"As if you'll ever age- But yes, even then, when my hands can't string a bow, even when my hands can't hold a pen anymore."

"Or cheesy romance novels?"

Leonardo laughs again, leans into the contact so they sit, foreheads touching. "Or cheesy romance novels."

"But we'll always, always find a way to crawl back up here, okay?"

"As long as we still can."

"Then it's a promise-" The myrmidon leans back, grinning broadly, holding out his hand with his little finger extended. "Pinky promise!"

The archer's nose wrinkles almost reflexively. "Edward, we are grown men-"

"C'mon, you love it!" he interrupts. Leonardo gives him a flat look, and Edward holds out his hand a little more insistently. "Please, Leo?"

He sighs, gives in. "You got me- Alright. It's a promise."

"Pinky promise- And thumb-stamped!"

Leonardo sighs, exasperated, but Edward catches the way his lips curve upwards behind his hand, the way his eyes smile in a dead giveaway. "Gods, you're insufferable."

Edward throws an arm around the archer's shoulders, grins.

"I love you too!"

**Author's Note:**

> as always, feedback in any form is greatly appreciated!


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